How to build a pergola

Materials and tools needed to build a pergola on your deck that stands 8 feet high by 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep: 4x4 pieces of lumber cut to four 96-inch lengths and four additional lengths that you will cut to fit your pergola’s unique measurements; 2x4 pieces of lumber cut to 11 120-inch lengths; 2x6 pieces of lumber cut to 6 120-inch lengths; circular saw; compound miter saw; power drill; power sander; measuring tape; paint or stain.

Install posts

Stand one of the 4x4 posts upright and screw it into the deck’s floor. You will need to use a metal half base, a piece of equipment made specifically for this use. You can find the half base at your local hardware store. Repeat this step for the remaining three 4x4 posts.

Secure boards

With an assistant, lift one of the 120-inch 2x4 boards and secure it to the two corner posts located on the interior side of your future pergola. The board should be secured flush to the tops of the posts.

Install cross braces

Now you are ready to install your cross braces. Measure diagonally between the interior side of the 4x4 and the top surface of the 2x4. Using your miter saw, cut four cross braces from the remaining 4x4s using the measurements you’ve taken. Secure one cross brace to one of the 4x4 posts and to the side of the 2x4 facing away from the pergola’s interior. Repeat this step on the other end of the 2x4, cross-bracing it to the other post. Screw the second 120-inch 2x4 to the exterior side of the pair of 4x4 posts and to the existing cross braces.

Repeat steps three through six for the second set of 4x4s, using two more 120-inch 2x4s and two more cross braces.

Build the rafters

Next, it’s time to build the pergola’s rafters. Lay six of the 120-inch 2x6 pieces of lumber perpendicularly across the supporting 2x4s, spacing them out evenly. Uses screws to secure them in place. Lay the remaining seven 2x4s perpendicularly across the 2x6s, spacing them evenly. Screw them to secure in place.

The information for this project came from www.homedepot.com.

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